

Day 212 – Van Den Heede receives huge welcome back in Les Sables d’Olonne
Finish time: 211d – 23hr- 12m 19s
- Mark Slats – back on course with a 36 hour penalty
Dateline: 17:00 UTC 29. 01. 2019 – Les Sables d’Olonne, France
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Jean-Luc Van Den Heede celebrating with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston today. Photo: Tim Bishop/GGR/PPL |

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede and his yacht MATMUT surfing down Biscay waves towards the finish line off Les Sables d’Olonne. Photo Christophe Favreau/GGR/PPL |
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Jean-Luc Van Den Heede celebrating in the harbour of Les Sables d’Olonne. Photo Christophe Favreau/GGR/PPL |
Jean-Luc Van Den Heede wrote his name into the record books by not only winning the 2018 Golden Globe solo non-stop round the world race today, but becoming the oldest in history to complete such a race. The 73-year old French veteran of six solo circumnavigations takes over both titles from Britain’s Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the sole finisher of the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race 50 years before. Until the finish gun fired at 09:12 UTC, Sir Robin had held the title as the oldest solo circumnavigator in a race, after completing the Velux 5 Oceans Race in 2007 at the age of 68.
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